


Imperfect

by stardustkr7



Category: Batgirl - Fandom, Batgirl of Burnside, Batman - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 01:11:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4686656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustkr7/pseuds/stardustkr7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knew she was feeling vulnerable, knew he would have to make himself vulnerable to really reach her. It still didn’t make it any easier to say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Imperfect

It took a while for Jason to catch up with Barbara, but he finally found her sitting up on their bridge, slowly winding tape around her bruised knuckles.

“Babs,” he said softly, watching her stiffen. She must have been really upset to not even notice he had snuck up on her.

He swallowed, now wondering what exactly he was going to say, kicking himself for not thinking it through when he took off after her.

“Look, Barbara, you deserve better than him,” he said, “I mean, you’re perfect–”

“Don’t say that,” Barbara interrupted. “Don’t put me on that pedestal. Haven’t you seen enough of my lowest points to know that’s not true in the slightest?”

Frustrated, she unwound the tape to start over, having trouble keeping it straight with one hand.

“Okay, fair,” he said, moving over and sitting down beside her. “But I didn’t mean it like that.”

He took her hands and gently started bandaging the damaged one, the knuckles bruised and split from punching a certain former-Boy-Wonder-turned-spy more than once. Jason had been very careful to squash down the tiny moment of glee as Grayson wouldn’t have much of a pretty face to boast about for a while.

“I guess maybe a few years ago I would have,” said Jason while he focused on her hand. Barbara held very still, watching him work. “You know, I was sixteen and worked with you every night, this amazing, gorgeous, older girl who intimidated the hell out of me. And I had known about Batgirl before then and probably already idealized her.”

“Jason …”

“The thing is, Babs, I think we’re actually more alike than I could have ever imagined back then,” he said, carefully smoothing each layer of bandage.

He heard her exhale heavily. “How so?” she asked quietly.

“Well, for one, we both seem to have a thing for, uh…”

“Punching first and asking questions later? Pushing away people we love?” Barbara guessed.

“I was gonna say issues with repressed anger,” said Jason, smirking a little. “But yeah, those too.” He had finished bandaging her hand but was still holding it in both of his. She didn’t pull away.

“You don’t have to be nice,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve heard it all, about how I’m intense and always have to be right. How I’m a total bitch to people.”

“I hate that word. Guys only use it to put down women they’re intimidated by and it’s gross,” said Jason, frowning. He made a mental note to find time to figure out who had called Barbie that and pay them a visit with a punch to the face.

“I thought you said you were intimidated by me,” said Barbara, her voice a little lighter.

“Yeah, but I was kinda cool with it,” he said, glancing up at her and throwing her a wink. She smiled a little.

“I was pretty mean to you back then … what I said when we met– Jason, I’m sorry,” she said, this time looking down and away from him.

“Its okay, Babs. Sixteen year old me was a twat and probably needed the kick to the ego every now and then,” said Jason with a shrug. He would be lying if he said it wasn’t still a tiny insecurity for him. But she didn’t need to dwell on it. He was trying not to.

“When you said you couldn’t stay, you said that was the reason why.”

“Sometimes I still need a kick to the ego.”

They fell quiet for a moment, Jason’s thumb lightly stroking the back of her bandaged hand. Barbara was looking out over the river, expression sad again.

“I do know you have flaws and they’re a lot like mine and …” Jason trailed off. His stomach was turning with nerves. He knew she was feeling vulnerable, knew he would have to make himself vulnerable to really reach her. It still didn’t make it any easier to say.

“I admire you,” he said, staring at her hand again and feeling his face grow warm. “Everything about you is … better than that stupid sixteen year old me could have dreamed. You’re inspiring and brave and everything I wish I could do better. And … well, it’s just easier to say you’re perfect … to me…”

There were several agonizing seconds where she was quiet and Jason started to panic about the fact that he had really just said all of that to her, that he had just more or less admitted just how deep his feelings for her ran.

She turned her hand over so she could clasp his.

“Jay…” she said, her voice so soft and sweet with his name. He didn’t think he had ever heard her say it like that before. “I don’t know what to say.”

He shrugged a little. “It’s okay,” said Jason. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting her to say anyway, just wanted to make her feel better.

Barbara placed her other hand on his cheek, making him look up at her at last to realize how much closer she had leaned in.

He glanced down at her lips and wondered how awful it would make him if he leaned in and kissed her.  But he didn’t have to consider it for long as Barbara took the initiative and slid her hand down around the back of his neck and pulled him in.

For a moment, Jason wasn’t entirely sure how to handle the fact that Barbara was kissing him. Her lips were softly pressed to his and her fingers curled in his hair. He closed his eyes, hardly daring to move, to breathe.

All too soon she started pulling back and on impulse, he followed, leaning towards her a little. When he opened his eyes again, he saw her smiling a little.

“Uhh…” said Jason.  _Good one, Todd, that was a really charming, romantic thing to say right after a kiss. Uhh. No wonder all the ladies adore you_.

“Thanks,” said Barbara, miraculously not commenting on his lack of eloquence.

“Um, any time,” he said. “Really, whenever you want to do this again, totally available.”

She laughed a little. “I mean all of it,” she said. “Thanks for being here for me.”

“Right, yeah, available for that too.”

She slipped her hand out of his and stood up off the edge of the bridge.

“I should probably get back,” said Barbara, looking across the bridge in the direction of her part of the city.

Jason scrambled to his feet, not exactly ready to leave her presence just yet. “Can I walk you home?” he asked quickly. Okay, maybe a tiny part of him hoped she would kiss him again.

She shot him an amused look. “I guess so,” she said. “If you can keep up, of course.”

He smirked at her playfulness. “Barbie, I am up to any challenge,” he said.


End file.
